{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T04:48:34Z","timestamp":1782276514048,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773014400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Emergency physicians practice in high-pressure environments and face occupational stressors that may affect their mental health. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of depression among emergency physicians in South Korea and examined environmental, sociolegal, and individual factors associated with depressive symptoms in the post-pandemic period. Materials and Methods: This nationwide cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2025 Korean Emergency Physician Survey. Screening positive for depressive symptoms was defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score \u2265 10, indicating moderate-to-severe depressive symptom severity. Measures included the PHQ-9, the Korean Epworth Sleepiness Scale (KESS), and the Adult APGAR, a brief self-administered instrument assessing overall wellness. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with depression after adjusting for demographic, clinical, and work-related variables. Results: Of the 1050 physicians who responded (response rate: 37.5%), 743 emergency physicians completed the PHQ-9 section (completion rate: 70.8%; mean age, 43.2 \u00b1 7.78 years; 86.5% male), and 111 (14.9%) screened positive for depressive symptoms. Objective workload indicators, including total work hours and number of night shifts, did not differ between physicians with and without depression. However, emergency physicians screening positive for depression reported higher perceived burdens related to staffing shortages and patient-related stressors. Protective factors included being married (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08\u20130.58), longer sleep duration (AOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.50\u20130.86), better sleep quality (AOR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.27\u20130.74), fixed mealtimes (AOR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.39\u20130.93), and higher Adult APGAR scores (AOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60\u20130.86). Factors associated with increased odds of depression included a history of cancer (AOR, 14.63, 95% CI, 2.53\u201384.61), current alcohol consumption (AOR, 2.54, 95% CI, 1.14\u20135.68), daytime sleepiness (AOR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04\u20131.31), and more frequent verbal abuse during the previous 12 months (AOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08\u20131.44). Conclusions: Depression was prevalent and was associated with perceived work burden, sleep health, lifestyle regularity, and psychosocial factors. Interventions should address sleep quality, workplace safety, and social support.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina62030504","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T11:06:52Z","timestamp":1773054412000},"page":"504","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depression Among Emergency Physicians in South Korea: Findings from the 2025 Korean Emergency Physician Survey"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"62","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-0501-7055","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Min","family":"Kim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6380-9443","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"In","family":"Yeo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3773-8047","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mi","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Vincent\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03083, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4974-4129","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ji","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu 11765, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6359-9354","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyung","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang 10380, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5200-2337","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kwang","family":"Cho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University, Seoul 01830, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5901-6088","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kyung","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Education, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju 26426, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6424-9946","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eu","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3052-2339","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joon","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04401, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2944-1475","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanghun","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Engineering,  Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7067-7899","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ji","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan 49201, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9201-5223","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Han","family":"Choi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyunghee University Hospital at KangDong, Seoul 05278, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3662-0848","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kyungseok","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul 07061, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"OECD (2021). Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Agency KDCaP (2024). 2023 Community Health Survey Results."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"(HIRA) HIRaAS (2026, March 04). Improvement in the Second Evaluation of Outpatient Depression Care, Especially in Local Clinics, Available online: https:\/\/www.hira.or.kr\/bbsDummy.do?brdBltNo=11326&brdScnBltNo=4&pageIndex=1&pageIndex2=1&pgmid=HIRAA020041000100."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"846","DOI":"10.1080\/07853890.2022.2053568","article-title":"High prevalence of depression and sleep\u2013wake disorders among female emergency medicine residents in South Korea","volume":"54","author":"Lee","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ann. Med."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"491","DOI":"10.1111\/1742-6723.12135","article-title":"Review article: Burnout in emergency medicine physicians","volume":"25","author":"Arora","year":"2013","journal-title":"Emerg. Med. Australas."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e13","DOI":"10.35371\/aoem.2022.34.e13","article-title":"Relationship between workplace violence and work-related depression\/anxiety, separating the types of perpetrators: A cross-sectional study using data from the fourth and fifth Korean Working Conditions Surveys (KWCS)","volume":"34","author":"Lee","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ann. Occup. Environ. Med."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"257","DOI":"10.3346\/jkms.2019.34.e257","article-title":"Workplace violence experienced by emergency department workers and its association with stress and depression assessment","volume":"30","author":"Kim","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Korean Soc. Emer. Med."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"372","DOI":"10.3349\/ymj.2022.63.4.372","article-title":"Burnout and Resilience among Emergency Physicians at Korean University Hospitals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis","volume":"63","author":"Kim","year":"2022","journal-title":"Yonsei Med. J."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1916097","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2019.16097","article-title":"Association Between Physician Depressive Symptoms and Medical Errors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","volume":"2","author":"Mata","year":"2019","journal-title":"JAMA Netw. Open"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hall, L.H., Johnson, J., Watt, I., Tsipa, A., and O\u2019Connor, D.B. (2016). Healthcare Staff Wellbeing, Burnout, and Patient Safety: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 11.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0159015"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105984","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhe.2025.105984","article-title":"Changes in the Nationwide Number of Emergency Department Visits Following the Junior Physicians\u2019 Walkout in South Korea: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis","volume":"249","author":"Han","year":"2025","journal-title":"Public Health"},{"key":"ref_12","first-page":"29","article-title":"The prevalence and related factors of depression in emergency physicians of Korea: Results from the 2020 Korean Emergency Physician Survey","volume":"33","author":"Lim","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Korean Soc. Emer."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"606","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x","article-title":"The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure","volume":"16","author":"Kroenke","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Gen. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"853","DOI":"10.30773\/pi.2023.0100","article-title":"Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 in the General Korean Population","volume":"20","author":"Kim","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychiatry Investig."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"377","DOI":"10.1007\/s11325-010-0343-6","article-title":"The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale","volume":"15","author":"Cho","year":"2011","journal-title":"Sleep Breath."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"868","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-4632.2011.05378.x","article-title":"The Adult APGAR: A Guide to Physician Wellness","volume":"51","author":"Bintliff","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"246","article-title":"Job Stress, Job Satisfaction and Occupational Commitment Among Korean Emergency Physicians","volume":"21","author":"Kim","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Korean Soc. Emer."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"596","DOI":"10.1111\/ijn.12479","article-title":"Experiences of violence, burnout and job satisfaction in Korean nurses in the emergency medical centre setting","volume":"22","author":"Yoon","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Nurs. Pract."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajem.2025.06.044","article-title":"Factors impacting military emergency medicine residents\u2019 sleep and barriers to seeking help: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods study","volume":"96","author":"Oliver","year":"2025","journal-title":"Am. J. Emerg. Med."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2341910","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2023.41910","article-title":"Sleep Disturbance and Burnout in Emergency Department Health Care Workers","volume":"6","author":"Shechter","year":"2023","journal-title":"JAMA Netw. Open"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100046","DOI":"10.1016\/j.acepjo.2025.100046","article-title":"Burnout, Depression, and Stress in Emergency Department Nurses and Physicians and the Impact on Private and Work Life: A Systematic Review","volume":"6","author":"Jachmann","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Am. Coll. Emerg. Physicians Open"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.1002\/pon.3409","article-title":"Prevalence of Depression in Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Interviews and Self-Report Instruments","volume":"23","author":"Krebber","year":"2014","journal-title":"Psychooncology"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1186\/s12960-024-00952-7","article-title":"Comparison of depressive symptoms among emergency physicians and the general population in China: A cross-sectional study based on national data","volume":"22","author":"Jiang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Hum. Resour. Health"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1377","DOI":"10.1001\/archinternmed.2012.3199","article-title":"Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance among US physicians relative to the general US population","volume":"172","author":"Shanafelt","year":"2012","journal-title":"Arch. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.5811\/westjem.2019.4.40970","article-title":"Burnout, Drop Out, Suicide: Physician Loss in Emergency Medicine, Part I","volume":"20","author":"Stehman","year":"2019","journal-title":"West J. Emerg. Med."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1111\/acem.14606","article-title":"Objective Assessment of Sleep and Fatigue Risk in Emergency Medicine Physicians","volume":"30","author":"Fowler","year":"2023","journal-title":"Acad. Emerg. Med."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102641","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2024.102641","article-title":"The Growing Burden of Workplace Vio-lence against Healthcare Workers: Trends in Prevalence, Risk Factors, Consequences, and Prevention\u2014A Narrative Review","volume":"72","author":"Barach","year":"2024","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Park, S.Y., Lee, H.M., and Kim, J. (2022). The Number of Monthly Night Shift Days and Depression Were Associated with an Increased Risk of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Emergency Physicians in South Korea. Behav. Sci., 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/bs12080279"}],"container-title":["Medicina"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1648-9144\/62\/3\/504\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T04:13:04Z","timestamp":1782274384000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1648-9144\/62\/3\/504"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]]},"references-count":28,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]}},"alternative-id":["medicina62030504"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/medicina62030504","relation":{},"ISSN":["1648-9144"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1648-9144","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]]}}}